Stand By Me
by Sarie G. Jazacs
Summary: Three hundred years into the future, Caroline is asked about how she manages to put up with Klaus. In response, she recalls her life with him so far. Klaroline fluff. Warning for small mention of violence. Established relationship.


**A/N:** This has nothing to do with the episode of the same name. I just had a little spark of inspiration and…well, this happened.

Set in the future with established relationship.

**Warnings:** Mention of violence and Klaroline fluff.

* * *

Caroline watched from the background with a faint wince as Klaus brutally interrogated the younger vampire before him. After three hundred years, his persuasive techniques did not change one bit. While it was true that he could simply compel the answer out the other vampire, he preferred to submit his dominance over the others and demand that they give him the answers he deserves.

And though it took a long while for her to admit it to him, that feature was one of the many things she loved about him.

Of course, the technique never worked on her, even as early as when they first met in her small hometown of Mystic Falls, Virginia. She had been the first person to ever deny Klaus and live to tell the tale. And, she supposed, that feature was one of the many things he loved about her.

Along these three hundred years with him, she had witnessed plenty of these acts of dominance, but never quite got used to some of the sheer brutality of it. After her first time witnessing, he had told her that it was not necessary for her to be in the room. She had smiled because this was basically his way of saying to her 'I don't want to make you uncomfortable, but I'm not going to stop either'.

She had brushed off the comment with a flippant reply, "I don't want you breaking or staining anything of great importance during your interrogation. So."

With that said and a small smirk from the hybrid, the interrogations continued with Caroline watching silently in the background.

Presently, she was brought back by the sound of Klaus's hand slapping across the younger vampire's face, whose name she learned to be Aiden, causing the vampire to fall to the side along with the chair he was tied to. Caroline knew that if Klaus really wanted to, he could've sent that vampire's head flying with one strong backhand.

This was for intimidation. Caroline shook her head. Some things never change.

She noticed that the large open gash on the vampire's forehead was starting to leak a pool of blood from his position on the hardwood floor, and she clicked her tongue in disdain as it inched close to the antique carpet.

Klaus glanced back at her, and then followed her gaze. He smirked.

"I need a drink. I'll let you lay there and perhaps in a few minutes you will realize that refusing to tell me anything isn't quite working in your favor at the moment." He stated, turning around and heading towards the open doorway in which Caroline was standing.

"The carpet, Nik." Caroline muttered, casting him a tired look.

The hybrid scoffed and shook his head at the words. Caroline quirked a small smile in his direction, in which he discreetly returned before leaving the vicinity.

Turning back to the vampire lying on the ground, she sighed. She headed towards the kitchen, grabbing a metallic bowl filled with water and two washcloths, one damp and the other dry.

Caroline returned to the room, kneeling down and setting her supplies down. Wordlessly, she glanced in the vampire's direction. He was watching her closely, his eyes hooded. She pursed her lips and looked away, grabbing the damp wash cloth and beginning to clean the blood off of the floor.

"How do you stand him?"

She paused in her scrubbing and turned towards Aiden, who had spoken. She tilted her head, giving him a questioning look.

"In the short time that I had to speak to you a few days before, you were kind and light and…well, happy," he croaked, licking his cracked lips, "He's…he's a monster. He is the polar opposite of what you encompass. He is darkness. How do you stand him? How can you still love him?"

Caroline pondered over the question. Dipping the cloth in the water and wringing it out, she brought it back to the little bit of spilled blood left.

"It wasn't easy," she relented, scrubbing as she spoke, "in all honestly, when we first met, I hated him. I hated him for what he had done to my friends, my boyfriend at the time, the people of the city I grew up in…I hated him for a lot."

She smiled to herself, "I'm a stubborn person, that I can admit, but I'm also very loyal. At that time, I was on opposing sides against him. It didn't matter how nice he was to me or how many gifts or pictures he sent me…he was the enemy. And that was that."

Judging by the look on the other vampire's face, he seemed shocked at the idea of Klaus ever 'being nice' or sending gifts. She held back a laugh and put the damp washcloth into the bowl, reaching for the dry one to soak up the rest.

"After a little while though, I began to realize that I was becoming a bit of a hypocrite. I had, well technically still have, this issue with talking about things like I knew what I was talking about. I said things without thinking, and it only continued to bite me in the ass."

"I accused him of killing without need, of having no remorse, and of never taking the time to get to know people. But, while these were true, I never exactly gave him an opening to get to know me. I always blew him off. In fact, I sometimes wonder what might've happened if I had been receptive to his attempts to get to know me, but who knows."

Caroline put the cloth down on the now clean and dry floor and turned to look at Aiden.

"Finally, after a few years when the craziness in my town died down, I allowed him to get to know me and…things changed. We balance each other out, you see. I may not kill as many people as he does or treat humans with as much contempt as he does, but believe it or not, this is a lot less than what he used to do. Rewind three hundred years and your head would be across this room the moment you walked in."

Aiden shuddered from his spot on the floor.

"I'm not perfect either. I've killed before, and I won't hesitate to defend those I love and care for with anything and everything possible. Like I said before, I tend to be quite loyal. And after three hundred years with Nik—sorry, I guess you know him better as Klaus—I've learned a few things. We're very alike. Just as I am loyal to him, he is loyal to me, just like we are to our families."

Caroline smiled, looking down at the diamond ring on her left finger, "I love him, and I have loved him for the past two hundred years. Yes, you heard right, it took me a hundred years to admit it. But he waited, because like I said, I'm stubborn. After so many times of telling him how much I hated him, he knew it would take a while for me to come around. But I did. In all honesty, I've never felt more love and more safety than I do when I'm with him."

Picking up her supplies, Caroline got to her feet. "You should tell him whatever it is that he wants to know." She recommended.

"He'll kill me either way."

"You don't know that for sure," Caroline dismissed, "if you cooperate, he might let you live."

The vampire was quiet then, and Caroline took her leave to let him think that over.

Upon entering the kitchen and setting the supplies on the counter, she shook her head as she felt a presence behind her. "It's really creepy when you eavesdrop like that, Nik." She mused.

Klaus chuckled, coming around the corner, a glass of whiskey in his right hand. He set it down on the counter before approaching his wife at the sink.

Caroline sighed as she felt his arms wrap around her waist and she leaned against his strong chest, smiling as he pressed gentle kisses to her upper neck and cheek.

"I never tire of hearing you speak of our lives together, love," he murmured, "forgive me for eavesdropping."

Caroline turned around in his arms to face him, wrapping her own arms around his neck with a gentle smile, "It's almost comical how often I hear that statement leave your mouth."

He swayed her gently, quirking an eyebrow at her, "I don't know what you're talking about."

She giggled softly and he leaned in, catching her lips in a sweet kiss that she instantly responded to.

"Are you actually planning on killing him whether or not he gives you answers?" she asked quietly, swaying with him.

He was quiet for a moment, "…Probably."

"Not on my carpet, please."

"Whatever you say, sweetheart."


End file.
